


like sunlight and the taste of your smile

by earlgrey_milktea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crushes, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, Magic AU, paintings and baked treats, v cute and v sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8167748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: Yachi paints, Yamaguchi bakes. This is a simple story of a girl who falls for a boy (quite literally), with a few magical shenanigans along the way.
  "How did it feel? When you realized you had a crush on each other."
  Hinata leans in, eyes widening conspiratorially, “It’s like there’s this warm feeling spreading from inside you, like sunshine, you know? And it’s like you never knew you were standing under a cloud this whole time.”
  “And you want to feel that warmth all the time,” Kageyama adds in that quiet way of his, “but you’re still a little afraid of being burnt.”
  “Sunshine...” whispers Hitoka.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello! if you're here for the yamayachi, good!! be prepared for some super lighthearted, feel good, fluffy cuteness!  
> this is my first time writing for this pairing even though i love them so much. i hope i did okay with their voices. i also hope you like the slight sprinkling of magic i added into this fic!!  
> please enjoy~~

**TADASHI**

 

The first time he sees her, she’s on top of a pink elephant barreling straight towards the science building. 

It’s not the most alarming sight the campus has seen, given the unpredictability of thousands of young adults and their varying gifts, but it’s still pretty terrifying to see a large brightly-coloured mammal stomping through the main walkway, sending all the students previously lounging under the sun to scramble out of the way. As people dive to avoid being squished by the elephant, a high, shaking voice above them can be heard shrieking apologies.

Tadashi is lucky enough to be on the grass and out of the elephant’s warpath, but he looks up and sees the small, terrified girl clinging onto the animal’s back and he doesn’t even have to think about it. He dumps his notebooks on the ground, striding forwards, arms outstretched, yelling, “Jump, jump! I’ll catch you!”

The girl turns her head, startled at his shouts. She opens her mouth to say something, but the elephant suddenly slams to a halt, and her eyes go wide. 

Tadashi stares, mouth agape as the elephant starts to turn a different shade, almost pastel pink, like cherry blossom petals, or maybe the sky in the mornings----but that’s not important. What’s important is that Tadashi realizes with extreme alarm that the elephant is not, in fact, changing shades, but rather fading. 

“Oh no, oh no, oh no oh no oh no!” comes the frantic chanting of the girl still suspended on top of the elephant. Her hands flail as she struggles to climb off the rapidly disappearing elephant.

Without hesitation, Tadashi rushes forwards again. “Here!” he shouts, and the girl barely has time to look at him before she’s falling through the air. Tadashi leaps, and the next thing he knows, he’s flat on the ground with a head full of blonde hair in front of his eyes.

“Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry.” The girl’s face suddenly looms into view. Tadashi registers large brown eyes, flushed cheeks, and a round face. If his heart wasn’t pounding because of his fall, it certainly is pounding now. 

“N-no worries,” he manages, nervously keeping his hands pressed against the ground. “A-are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh, I’m fine! I’m----” Her brown eyes grow impossibly round. “Oh my gosh, I’m still on top of you! Sorry! Sorry! Please tell me I didn’t break your bones!” Scrambling off him, she holds her hands out, looking so worried Tadashi involuntarily glances down at his body for broken bones, too.

“It’s okay,” he assures her. He sits up, moving his limbs to prove he’s really okay until the girl finally stops looking worried and almost collapses with relief. He glances at her hesitantly, before saying, “Am I allowed to ask about the elephant?”

She blushes, a hand going up to the star clips holding her side ponytail. “That’s... that was the result of my gift, it’s---I’m not very good at controlling it yet so these---um, incidents---happen, like, a lot, but the elephant was one of the bigger ones, but I should have predicted that, it’s my mistake, so sorry again----”

Tadashi holds up his hands. “Whoa, it’s okay, slow down. You mentioned your gift?”

“Um, yes! My gift allows me to, um, bring my paintings to life.” Her eyes go wide again. “Oh! I’m Yachi! Yachi Hitoka, a first year.”

Tadashi returns her bow, a smile coming easily to his face. “Yamaguchi Tadashi. I’m a first year, too.”

“Nice to meet you!” Yachi’s face brightens, and Tadashi just barely manages to stop the urge to press a hand to his chest at the sight of that sunny smile. Her hands go up to adjust the clips in her hair again. “Ah, sorry, I should be getting back to my studio, there’s a mess to clean up again... Thank you again for catching me!”

“Don’t worry about it. Uh, be more careful next time?”

Yachi laughs, and if Tadashi was more of a poetry kind of guy, he’d probably describe it as something tinkling like windchimes. He likes her laugh. “I will! Sorry, and thanks again!”

He waves until she disappears around the corner. Then he looks down at his hand, and sighs. He can just hear Tsukki’s voice now, dryly commenting on the fact that he completely blew the chance to ask for her number. 

Slowly, he goes back to where his things have been abandoned on the grass. He thinks about Yachi’s fair hair, the brightness of her smile, the rosy flush of her cheeks. Feeling something warm floating in his chest, he opens his notebook, and begins to scribble.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**HITOKA**

 

“---chan. Yacchan!”

Hitoka jolts out of her thoughts to see Hinata’s face right in front of her eyes. She lets out an embarrassing squeak and topples off her chair. Somewhere above her, Kageyama’s deeper and gruffer voice is telling Hinata that he’s “too close, god, have you heard of personal space.”

Hinata only grunts at Kageyama before leaning down to help Hitoka off the ground. “Yacchan! You’ve been spacing out since we got here! What’s wrong?”

“A-ah, sorry, Hinata-kun! I was just... thinking... a lot...”

“Thinking?” Hinata is leaning in again, until Kageyama grabs the back of his shirt to stop him. “About what?”

Hitoka can feel herself blushing. She tries to hide her face with her hands, but her friends see right through her. 

“You met someone today, didn’t you!” crows Hinata, leaping out of Kageyama’s reach. “You’ve got that look on your face, like you have a cruuuush!”

“Yachi-san has a crush?”

“Yeah,” Hinata says to Kageyama, “I remember the exact feeling when I first met you.”

Hitoka and Kageyama both tilt their head. “But you hated Kageyama-kun when you first met though?”

“Well, yeah, but I can still remember the feeling when I first realized I like him more than I hate him.”

Now Kageyama’s the one blushing. Hitoka busies herself grabbing a dumpling wrapper. “So... how did it feel? When you two realized you had a crush on each other.”

“Awesome!” Hinata says at the same time Kageyama goes, “Horrible.”

The two boys glare at each other for a few moments, before Kageyama rolls his eyes and goes back to shoving filling into the dumpling wrappers. Hinata turns back to Hitoka, cheeky grin back on his face.

“It was kind of out of nowhere, really. One day I just looked at Kageyama and thought, ‘Wow, maybe I don’t want to knock his lights out all the time!’ Very romantic, I know.” Hinata laughs, and Hitoka nervously laughs along with him. “But really though,” Hinata leans in again, eyes widening conspiratorially, “it’s like there’s this warm feeling spreading from inside you, like sunshine, you know? And it’s like you never knew you were standing under a cloud this whole time.”

“And you want to feel that warmth all the time,” Kageyama adds in that quiet way of his, “but you’re still a little afraid of being burnt.”

“Sunshine...” whispers Hitoka. She looks down at the dumpling wrapper in her hands. She thinks about the boy she met yesterday, the way his voice almost cracked when he called for her to jump down from the elephant. The wide eyes, the smattering of freckles across his skin, the kindness in his smile. The wrapper drops back onto the table, and she whines, covering her face again.

“Yachi-san,” Kageyama says, sounding alarmed, “did you not want dumplings after all?”

“Don’t be dense, Kageyama! She’s obviously thinking about her crush.” Hinata pokes her with a flour-covered finger. “Who is it, Yacchan! Tell us, tell us!”

She bites her lip, before shrugging. “Remember that elephant I drew yesterday? And how we thought if I climbed up there it would listen to me? Well... it didn’t... and it wouldn’t stop running... I thought I was going to die.” She shudders. “But then there was this, um, this boy, he caught me when I fell---” She ignores Hinata’s  _ oohs  _ and  _ aahs  _ at that, continuing, “And he was really nice about it, even though I fell on top of him and could have broken his bones! It was terrifying! But he was. He was kind! And has a really nice smile... He’s a first year, too! Um, I think he said his name was Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

“Yamaguchi Tadashi... hm, where have I heard that name before...” Hinata claps his hands. “Oh! Isn’t he Stingyshima’s roommate?”

“St-Stingy---?”

“Tsukishima’s a dick,” scowls Kageyama, carefully folding the dumpling closed.

“A d-di---!”

“Yes, he is,” Hinata nods. “If Yamaguchi is as nice as you said, Yacchan, then he must be a saint for putting up with Stingyshima!” He grins at her. “But if you really like him, I can get Kageyama to brave Tsukishima and ask him for you.”

“Oi, leave me out of this.”

Hitoka looks at them. “Could you guys do that for me?”

The two boys glance at each other, then back at her hopeful expression. Hinata smiles at her, while Kageyama shrugs. “Anything for you, Yacchan!”

 

 

**/////**

 

 

 

**TADASHI**

 

His best friend and roommate is sitting cross-legged on his bed, lightly strumming his guitar with open notebooks around him when Tadashi enters their room. A familiar sight.

“I’m back,” he sings, dumping his bags on his side of the room.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Tsukishima doesn’t even bother looking up from his guitar, fingering the same three chords over again.

“Well, the creme brulees turned out great today, so of course I’m in a good mood!”

“Where’s my share?”

Tadashi rolls his eyes. “You don’t like sweets, Tsukki. You only like strawberry shortcake, for some reason.”

Tsukishima grunts in response. They’re quiet for a while, each doing their own thing in their shared room. The two of them have been friends for so long, silence is a comfort between them. They don’t need to exchange a single word for them to gauge the other’s mood or thought.

Which also means that Tadashi staring blankly at his textbook does not escape Tsukishima’s notice. He lets out a weird squawk when something hits him in the head. Looking down, he finds a battered guitar pick.

“What are you thinking about that’s got you smiling like a dork?”

“N-nothing!” Tadashi doesn’t even have to turn his head to know his friend is wearing that infamous deadpan look of his. “Really, it’s nothing interesting.”

“Really,” Tsukishima drawls. “So it’s not a girl, cute, blonde, first year arts student?”

Tadashi’s notebooks fall off the table. He gapes at Tsukishima, but his friend only smirks back at him.

“Wh-when did you develop a mind-reading gift, Tsukki!”

“Of course I didn’t,” Tsukishima scoffs. “Only because I got, unfortunately, no less than twenty three texts from the idiot duo, asking me to pass it on to you.” He shoves his phone in Tadashi’s face. “Here. They said she’s usually in this studio in the afternoons. You should go visit.”

Tadashi isn’t too proud to admit that he nearly faceplanted onto the floor trying to reach Tsukishima’s phone. He stares at the text. “... Do you think I should go?”

“Why shouldn’t you?”

“W-well... I’m technically a stranger? We only met because she was on an elephant and I wasn’t thinking, and then she was so worried she’d broken my bones---but she can’t have, she’s so small and light, like wow---and I don’t want to freak her out? But she’s really cute, Tsukki, you should have seen her---but if I just show up wouldn’t that be wei----”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

Tsukishima takes his phone back. “I’m forwarding this text to you. It’s up to you, but it seems like she’s making the first move here, so...”

His phone buzzes with the new notification. Tadashi chews on his finger, considering. He thinks about the sunny smile, the bright blonde hair, the new additions in his recipe book. 

He picks up the phone.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**HITOKA**

 

There are bamboo shoots everywhere. All across the room, shooting straight up, brushing the ceiling. It’s like a wall of green, and Hitoka is trapped in the corner, clutching her paintbrush in fear.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she wails, “Why are there so many? What if I’m stuck here forever? They ate my phone! What if they eat me?! I’ll become like Momotarou!”

“Uh... Didn’t Momotarou pop out of a peach?”

Hitoka gasps. “The bamboo can talk!”

The voice laughs. “I’m not the bamboo. Just a human, sorry.” The voice pauses. “Is there any way to clear the bamboo, though? It’s sort of... growing out into the hallway.”

“It is?” Hitoka cries in dismay. “Oh no, my professor will kill me! Or worse, sell me overseas! That’d be horrible, I can only speak Japanese!”

“I don’t think that will happen, Yachi-san.”

She blinks. The voice sounds familiar. Another stalk of bamboo bumps into her, and she huffs. She closes her eyes. 

“It’s my gift,” she mutters. “So it should listen to me.” 

Hitoka concentrates. She waves her paintbrush through the air, imagining the spacious studio before it was overtaken with bamboo plants. There are shuffling sounds, the brushing of leaves, some crackling noises, the sound of someone’s voice calling her name.

“Yachi-san?”

She blinks her eyes open to find a freckled and concerned face peering down at her. It takes her a moment. “Yamaguchi-san?!”

“Ah, you remember.” His face brightens, and Hitoka tries very hard not to blush. She’s not sure she succeeds, but he doesn’t seem to notice. “Are you alright? You got very quiet, and then the bamboo started popping away. It was pretty amazing.”

Looking around the room, Hitoka is relieved to see that it’s true. Her easel is lying on the floor next to her upended stool, but there is not a single plant in sight. The studio is back to the way it was before her magic tampered with it.

“I did it! I reversed it!”

“Yeah, uh, good job!”

They grin at each other for a moment. Then Hitoka remembers the spots of paint over her apron and probably in her hair, too. “I’m sorry you had to see that! It seems that every time we meet, my magic has messed up again, haha...”

“You’re right,” Yamaguchi laughs, not unkindly. He scratches his nose, glancing off to the side. “Um. Do you mind me staying here... while you work? It’s okay if you don’t want to! I know it’s a weird request, but Tsukki said I should go for it, or, well, he didn’t really say that, but I inferred, I mean---”

“Sure!” blurts Hitoka. She tugs on the clips in her hair. “I don’t mind your company.”

“Yeah?” Yamaguchi’s face breaks into a grin, and Hitoka finds herself returning it despite the growing heat on her face.

It becomes a routine, a time and space shared between the two of them. They meet up in the studio, Yamaguchi laying his textbooks and notes out on the tables while Hitoka paints. It’s nice. Yamaguchi is easy to talk to, quick to laugh, and listens to Hitoka’s rambles about her latest idea. They trade numbers within the first couple of days, and pretty soon they were meeting up after class to grab lunch. 

Hitoka likes the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs at her floundering, the way he frowns in concentration when he’s studying, the way he never freaks out when her gift goes awry and brings half-coloured animals to life in the studio. She likes him more than she is brave enough to admit. 

But he doesn’t stop showing up, even when she accidentally ruins one of his notebooks with impromptu flooding courtesy of her underwater watercolour painting. She’ll text him,  _ i have the studio booked until four today _ and without fail, he’ll reply,  _ I’ll be there _ .

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**TADASHI**

 

Two weeks into this little back-and-forth Yachi and he has going on, Tadashi decides to bring her cupcakes.

It’s not that strange, he tries to convince himself. They’re friends now, and Yachi has a penchant for sweet things. 

Yachi looks up when he places the box of cupcakes on the table. Her eyes immediately grow round, and she drops her paintbrush. “Are those... for me?”

Suddenly feeling nervous, Tadashi nods. “I thought you might a little something to cheer you up, because you said your project isn’t going so well... I mean, you don’t have to eat these if you don’t want to! It was random of me, I didn’t even ask which flavour you preferred, ah, this is weird isn’t it sorry----”

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun.” Yachi smiles at him. “Can I have one?”

Mutely, Tadashi nods. He’s still stuck on the brightness of her smile. 

Yachi bites into a cupcake delicately, eyes closing as she hums. “It’s good! Strawberry?”

“There’s also vanilla and chocolate.”

“I didn’t know you were so good at baking, Yamaguchi-kun!” Yachi licks her fingers, and then tilts her head. She makes a confused noise. “That’s weird. I suddenly feel like... like I’m excited? And a little nervous? But I don’t think that’s me...”

Tadashi straightens. “Ah, sorry, that’s probably a side effect of my gift! Sometimes when I cook, I slip certain emotions or memories into the food. Usually it’s intentional, but sometimes I don’t notice it.”

“That’s so interesting!”

“Sort of, I guess. I like your gift better, Yachi-san.”

“I guess they both have their pros and cons.”

They smile at each other over the cupcakes. Reaching up to scratch his nose, Tadashi coughs, a bit awkwardly. “Uh, if you don’t mind, I can bring more treats next time.”

“Oh! You don’t have to!”

“I know,” he says before she dissolves into a flustered blur, “but I want to.”

Yachi stares up at him, a few crumbs dotting her mouth. She smiles, and nods.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**HITOKA**

 

She enters her apartment to find Hinata against the ceiling and Kageyama frowning in concentration on the living room floor. The Hitoka from two years ago probably would have screamed at the sight, but as it is, the current Hitoka barely blinks. Living with those two does wonders to your tolerance level for unexpected surprises.

“Hello, Kageyama-kun, Hinata-kun.”

“Welcome back,” they chorus back at her.

“I brought home some egg tarts, if you guys want some.”

There’s a crash, two loud grunts of pain, and then some scrambling as the two boys rush to where Hitoka is pulling out the box from her bag. 

“Did Yamaguchi make these?”

Hitoka ducks her head. “Yes, he did.”

“That’s so nice of him, Yacchan!”

“Yeah, it’s sweet of him.”

Hinata pauses in reaching for a tart, and Hitoka’s mouth drops open slightly. Kageyama, catching their expressions of shock and growing glee, turns away while his face reddens. 

“Kageyama! I can’t believe you just punned us!” Hinata launches himself at his embarrassed boyfriend, looking ridiculously proud. “You’ve grown so much, my little blueberry!”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

Hitoka laughs. She really does love her friends so much. She looks down at the egg tarts. She thinks about the boy that presented them to her. She wonders if he ever feels a bit like a third wheel, even though he wouldn’t trade his friends for the whole world.

“Yacchan! These are amazing!” Hinata gestures with his mouth full. “I suddenly feel so strong! Kageyama, I bet I can lift you, and without using my gift!”

“No way, dumbass.” Kageyama uses his own gift to suspend Hinata in midair again, grabbing a tart for himself. He blinks. “Huh, these are good. Like a boost of energy. How does he do that? Is it protein?”

Proudly, Hitoka explains Yamaguchi’s gift. “It’s like he adds special ingredients to his food, sort of. Today he told me that he thought I’ve been looking tired lately, so he tried infusing some positivity and energy in the tarts!”

“Your boyfriend is so nice, Yacchan!”

Hitoka nods before she understands what he said. She waves her hands in front of her. “Oh, no, he’s not my boyfriend!”

Her friends peer at her, and then glance at each other. “But you want him to be,” Kageyama says, and Hitoka is struck speechless as she realizes how accurate that statement is.

“Oh no,” she whispers, “I  _ like  _ him.”

She’s so lost in the terrifying fact that she might be falling for one of her good friends that she doesn’t notice Hinata and Kageyama quickly hiding any pens within her reach, in case her sudden surge of emotions prompt her to bring to life something drastic. They can’t afford to destroy their apartment  _ again _ , or their landlady will really kick them out this time.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**TADASHI**

 

He hums as he kneads the dough, feeling his magic surge from his arms into the softness. Yachi has loved every single one of his treats so far, but he wants to make more. She always seems so stressed about her project, even though as far as Tadashi can tell, her art is amazing. 

“What are you doing up so early,” yawns Tsukishima. He shuffles into the communal kitchen dressed in his older brother’s hand-me-downs, a little short on the sleeves and printed with cartoon giraffes all over. A rare sight that only the first years in their shared dorm floor gets to see. (But should they ever dare tell anyone else, no one would believe them. Tsukishima isn’t really one to use his gift for evil, but playing one song and casting his magic to ensure his morning appearance is sworn in secrecy forever is much easier than being nice and winning over all thirty-something of their floormates.)

“I’m making shortbread for Yachi-san,” he says.

He doesn’t see Tsukishima’s raised eyebrows, but he hears it in his voice. “So it’s Yacchan now, huh. When’s it going to be ‘my girlfriend’?”

Tadashi is proud of himself for not freaking out completely and dropping the dough onto the floor. He only sprayed flour over himself. “We’re just friends, Tsukki. Besides, she doesn’t see me that way.”

“Why not?”

He stares down at his flour-covered hands. “Because... I’m just the guy that brings her treats and keeps her company. She’s too busy with her project anyway. It’s---it’s not like I want to date her! I just like being her friend, that’s all!”

Tsukishima doesn’t push him further, but his quiet, “Uh-huh,” is enough to cause Tadashi to hunch his shoulders. Neither of them speaks again until Tsukishima announces that he’s going back to their room.

It’s not until a few days later, when Tadashi walks Yachi to the bus stop, that comes running back to his room and slams the door open, demanding Tsukishima to teach him how to play guitar.

“No,” Tsukishima says without looking up from his laptop.

Tadashi collapses on his bed. “But whyyyy, Tsukki?” he whines.

“I’m not going to teach you guitar just so you can go woo a girl.”

“Tsukki! That’s not fair! You woo people all the time with your guitar!”

“That’s my gift, not me.” Tsukishima frowns at him over the top of his laptop. “Guitar is more than an instrument, Yamaguchi. It’s an art, and I refuse to let you disrespect it for the sake of impressing your crush.”

Tadashi rolls his eyes. “Fine, fine. You know I wasn’t serious anyway, I don’t have a musical bone in my body. Teach me how to impress Yachi, then.”

“Haven’t you already impressed her enough with all your desserts?”

“Those don’t count! I just thought she looked a bit stressed out, so I thought maybe my treats can help her, and she said she liked sweets so it works out! Also I was really inspired by her, I’ve written down so many new recipes and new flavours, it’s exciting to try them and I haven’t hit on one that doesn’t make her smile yet, and oh man, Tsukki, have I told you about her smile? It’s the most cutest thing----”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

Setting his laptop aside, Tsukishima crosses his legs and leans forwards. He fixes his calm, slightly exasperated gaze on Tadashi. “You don’t need my help wooing your girl, Yamaguchi. You don’t need a guitar, or some flashy move. You’re a great person, you’re kind, you’re good at listening, you’re magical in a kitchen. She’s lucky to have someone like you.”

Tadashi scratches his nose, blushing. “Uh, wow, thanks, Tsukki.”

His friend sighs. “Anyway, you’re already good friends with her. It sounds like you guys have a good relationship already. Just make a move, Yamaguchi. There’s no way you could go wrong.”

Tadashi nods, and then shakes his head. “B-but what if she hates me? What if she doesn’t like me that way? What if she was only using me for my baking----What if she’s not into guys like me, what if she’s not into guys at all?!”

“Calm down, Yamaguchi. I highly doubt she’s gay, considering how much I hear about her from you and that orange gravity-manipulating shrimp friend of hers.” Tsukishima pulls his laptop back in front of him, already moving on. “I’m giving you a week, Yamaguchi. If I still have to hear you bemoan the fact that you’re still stuck at hopeless-crush-stage, I’m going to actually teach you how to play guitar and make you perform it. In public.”

“No, Tsukki! Anything but that!”

“Go get yourself a girlfriend, buddy.”

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**HITOKA**

 

Yamaguchi continues to bring her treats when they meet up. And she loves them, oh boy, does she  _ love  _ them, but Hitoka can’t deny that it’s starting to make her feel a little guilty. She wants to return the favour, because his snacks really do boost her energy and motivation and just about everything, really, those were magical,  _ literally _ . Except she’s an absolute disaster in the kitchen, so making him a bento like Hinata helpfully suggested is probably less of an act of gratitude and more of an act of revenge.

So Hitoka decides to just ask the boy. The most efficient way to get things done, as her mother always likes to say, is the most straightforward way.

“You don’t need to do anything, Yachi-san! It’s okay!”

“I know, Yamaguchi-kun,” she says, and she smiles at him. “But I want to.”

He stares at her, and then ducks his head. Hitoka thinks his face might be a little pink. “Then,” he says, “is it alright if you visit the planetarium with me this Saturday?”

A little surprised, Hitoka nods. 

The following weekend, she finds herself under the projected stars of the planetarium’s dome ceiling, Yamaguchi sitting beside her and staring upwards in awe and excitement. He listens to the recorded program with rapt attention, filling in the gaps with more space knowledge than Hitoka could have ever imagined. She can tell that he’s been here many times, yet he still seems amazed. 

“I want to see the Milky Way with my own eyes,” he tells her, voice quiet and filled with wistful wonder. “One day. One day.”

He’s staring up at the fading stars. The lights reflect off his wide eyes, and Hitoka finds her own eyes tracing the freckles on his face, the yearning in his expression, the calm and the peace. She can feel a smile on her own face, as it always appears so naturally when she’s with him.

“You will,” she says to him, and he turns to her, expression softening into a smile as well. 

“Yeah,” he says, and when their pinkies brush as they look out into space, neither of them move away.

Hitoka goes home with a small plush of Saturn and new star-shaped hair clips. She hangs Saturn above her desk, pushing lightly at its ring to make it spin. It twirls for her, but she’s thinking about the smile on Yamaguchi’s face, the way his freckles are like skin-stars against his pale complexion. 

She pulls out a new sheet of paper, and begins to sketch.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**TADASHI**

 

Tadashi doesn’t see Yachi for the next week, though they continue to text each other throughout the day. Her final project is coming up, and Tadashi himself is swamped with papers and exams. He is not a fan of exams.

In his spare time, he finds himself opening his recipe notebook and making little notes. Tsukishima doesn’t say anything, only raising his eyebrows at the specific yellow sticky notes and the sketchy doodles of a smiling blonde. Tadashi ignores it. He’s happy designing new treats for Yachi, and nothing can ruin that.

But the more treats he comes up with, the more nervous he becomes. He wants to give her the best one, the one that will win her heart. So he does the most logical thing. 

He forces his friends to become his guinea pigs.

“Yamaguchi-kun is on a mission to make us all fat!” declares Hinata, even as he continues to stuff his face with cream puffs.

“Are you implying that he’s a evil witch and we’re Hansel and Gretel,” Kageyama mumbles around some brownies.

“Why the fuck are you guys even here,” Tsukishima says, stabbing his shortcake.

“Language, Tsukki!” Tadashi double checks the timer above the oven. “They’re closest to Yachi-san, so I wanted their opinions! Besides, they’re your classmates.”

“Unfortunately,” mutters Tsukishima.

This is the third afternoon where they’re gathered in one of the cooking club’s kitchens, trying out Tadashi’s various inventions. They like everything so far, which does wonders for Tadashi’s ego, but it’s not helping on his quest to confess to Yachi. 

He still can’t believe he’s going to do it. Confess, that is.

“You know Yacchan will like whatever you make her, right?”

“Yeah, but I want to give her something she really,  _ really  _ likes.”

Hinata pats Tadashi’s arm. “You’re a sweet, sweet boy, Yamaguchi-kun. Yacchan is so lucky. Meanwhile I’m stuck with this unromantic ostrich.”

“Oi!”

Tadashi watches in amusement as Kageyama chases Hinata around the kitchen, while Tsukishima snickers into his plate of cake. Hinata’s probably right, Yachi is nice enough that she’ll like whatever Tadashi presents her. Still, he can’t help but worry. This isn’t his first time confessing to someone, but it’s the first time he’s felt this certain about someone. That sounds so ridiculous he’s cringing, but it’s true. So he really doesn’t want to mess up, because then she’ll hate him, which would suck because then he might never step foot in the kitchen again, which is terrible because cooking is about the only thing he’s good at----

Tsukishima must notice him thinking too hard, because the next thing Tadashi knows, there’s a glob of whipped cream on his cheek. His best friend pulls back his finger, gaze as steady as ever. “Don’t worry about it so much. Just use your cooking to convey everything, right?”

_ Use his cooking... his gift.  _ Tadashi takes a breath. “Right.” He can do this. If he can’t say it with his mouth, he’ll say it with his heart.

“Oh!” Hinata suddenly exclaims, startling all of them. He extricates his head from Kageyama’s grip, turning his beaming smile on them. “I remembered Yacchan’s favourite treat! It’s fugashi!”

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**HITOKA**

 

When Tadashi asks to meet her right before she’s supposed to present her final project, Hitoka really wanted to tell him no. But she didn’t, and she doesn’t tell him that somehow, the thought of being able to see him calms her in a way she can’t understand.

“Yachi-san!” 

He must have ran across campus. Hitoka waits for him to catch his breath, nervously shifting her covered canvas.

“This, this is for you,” he says in a rush, holding out a box. “Sorry it’s so messy, but I’ve been perfecting it all night, and I really wanted to give it to you, um, good luck with your project! You-You’re a great artist, Yachi-san! Okay, bye!”

He turns to run back where he came, but then he suddenly turns back. His face is red, Hitoka notes with alarm. “Y-you don’t have to answer right away! The treats are just... I just wanted to convey my feelings properly. I’m really glad I met you! Good luck! Goodbye!” 

With that, he’s gone before Hitoka can do more than open her mouth. She’s left with a box of treats in her hands and a heavy canvas behind her, waiting to be carried inside the building.

It’s only after Hitoka comes out of her presentation, flushed but full of pride, that she gets the chance to try Yamaguchi’s treat. She sits on a bench and opens the box with anticipation.

Inside the box are multiple glossy brown blocks. Curiously, she picks one up, and bites into it. Her eyes widen. It’s sweet, soft and chewy in the middle. She grins down at the box. This is her favourite treat. She takes another, closing her eyes to savour the sweetness.

All of a sudden, she feels a peculiar warmth spreading through her in a tingly trail. It starts slow, then floods her body like a wave of water. She gasps lightly. She’s not sure how to describe it, but she’s sure it’s not her own feeling. Yet it’s not unfamiliar. And all of a sudden, she understands.

It’s a love letter, without words.

It’s such a soft, warm feeling, Hitoka is a little shocked to find tears coming to her eyes. She swallows, tasting that fluffiness as it goes down her throat. She hears Hinata’s voice telling her about sunshine. Hitoka looks back down at the homemade fugashi. 

This deserves an answer, she decides. She stands, and begins to make her way back to the studio.

 

 

**/////**

 

 

**TADASHI**

 

When Hinata and Kageyama  _ and  _ Tsukishima drags him out of his room on a nice, relaxing Saturday night, Tadashi knows something is up. He’s a little annoyed, because he had a queue of anime he wanted to catch up on.

“Where are we going?” he asks again. “And you can let go of me, Hinata, I can walk on my own.”

“It’s a secret!” Hinata declares. He tilts his head to grin up at Tadashi. “I’m so excited for you, Yamaguchi! You’re going to love it!”

“It?”

“Considering how much work she put in it, you better love it,” says Kageyama, staring straight ahead.

“She?”

“Just shut up, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima walks beside him, hands in his pockets and his regular bored expression fixed in place. “Congratulations. Your feelings reached her.”

“My feel---”

Before his thoughts can catch up, they’ve stopped outside a very familiar door. He’s not even certain how they managed to get in the building, seeing as it’s the weekend and most office hours are over ages ago. Hinata pats him on the back while Kageyama nods at him. 

“Good luck, Yamaguchi!”

And then Tsukishima is shoving him through the doors and Tadashi is blinking at the darkness. The blinds are closed, and the only source of light is coming from a lamp in the middle of the room. All the tables and stools are pushed against the walls. In the centre of the studio, next to the lamp, stands a single easel, covered with a draping white cloth. Beside that, stands a familiar figure.

“Yachi-san?”

“H-Hello, Yamaguchi-kun. Sorry for interrupting your evening. I wanted to show you something.”

“No, it’s fine!” Tadashi steps forwards. He can see the girl shaking slightly. He frowns. “What is it?”

“U-um, I’ve worked on this for a while. I’m not sure if it will work, I mean, I’ve tried it with smaller versions, but I have to paint over it again every time, so I hope it works, but anyway, I hope you’ll like it.” 

Yachi finally lifts her gaze. The raw determination in her eyes makes Tadashi pause. She walks over and pulls the cloth off the easel, and Tadashi’s eyes widen.

It’s a painting of dusk, or twilight, he’s not sure, but the point is that it’s absolutely breathtaking. Between the mesmerizing shades of blue and green and fading orange, there are pinpricks of gold scattered throughout the sky, and somehow Yachi has made them seem real and alive and pulsing. In the corner of the painting, two people stand next to each other, pointing up at the sky with as much awe as Tadashi feels.

“I’m,” Yachi’s voice shakes slightly, but her hands are steady, “going to turn off the lights now.”

Then it’s completely dark in the room. Tadashi shivers, but before he can do more than open his mouth, there are tiny flashes of gold flickering around the room. He blinks. He sucks in a breath. The bits of gold seems to grow as they wink at him lazily, drifting together and apart and soon he’s able to trace constellations, even as they move around the room like fireflies dipped in fairy dust. It’s beautiful.

“Is this... your gift?” he whispers, turning his head in wonder.

The lights seem to glow just a bit brighter, enough to illuminate Yachi’s watery smile. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admits just as quietly. “But you gave me such a wonderful, delicious confession, Yamaguchi-kun, and I’ve been thinking about it so much and I want to do you right, I want to properly give you my answer. So this... This is my answer.”

Tadashi stares at her as stars she made from scratch hover around them. Slowly, he steps forwards again, until he’s right in front of her. A smile is already spreading on his face. “Your answer?” he says, allowing his voice to lift up teasingly.

Yachi looks up at him, so pretty under her own starlight. She takes a deep breath, reaches forwards. Tadashi reaches out his own hand to meet hers. 

“I accept your feelings,” she says, and she peeks up at him beneath her lashes. “Did my feelings reach you?”

Tadashi smiles. “Yes,” he says, and Yachi beams. 

**Author's Note:**

> /whispers yes i do love my sun+star imagery and also i'm still amused there is a 'yamaguchi tadashi's freckles' tag


End file.
